Gahanna daycare that left toddler outside for hours to close 3 classrooms

View a previous report on the Gahanna daycare incident in the video player above.

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Gahanna daycare that police said left an unattended child outside for nearly five hours in early December is making a change to its operations after the incident.

Little Lambs Children's Center, which is located at and operated by Shepherd Church of the Nazarene, will be restructuring after an investigation by the staff and board. In an email sent out to parents by Shepherd Church of the Nazarene Lead Pastor Rob Paugh, the church expressed its dismay over the incident at the daycare while remaining thankful for the families that have been served over the years.

"Little Lambs has been providing quality childcare to the Gahanna community for decades," Paugh said in the email. "We have counted it as a privilege to serve each family and each precious child. We were heartbroken at the incident that occurred on December 7 and its impact on the child and parents. Our prayers remain with all involved in this incident."

In Paugh's email, he said that the staff and board had taken time to review the incident. The details led to the church's decision to reduce the number of children it will take at the daycare.

"Our staff and board have also spent considerable time investigating and seeking the Lord's direction for next steps regarding Little Lambs Children's Center," Paugh said. "As a result of our investigation, the board has determined that we will be restructuring LLCC and significantly downsizing the number of families we serve."

The restructuring of Little Lambs will include a downsizing that removes three classrooms.

"Unfortunately, the downsizing will affect the following classes: Infant, Toddler 1 and Toddler 2," Paugh said. "We will continue to provide care until February 2, 2024, at which point, we will no longer be in a position to provide care for your child."

The removal of the Infant, Toddler 1, and Toddler 2 rooms means that Little Lambs will no longer provide care for children two and under. The daycare will continue to operate to watch after children in other age groups.

The daycare said in its email that it has fully complied with investigations from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Franklin County Children's Services and the Gahanna Police Department.

"We are abiding by the recommendations made by these investigations and are taking additional action steps to guard from this happening again," Paugh said.